Age of Destiny
by Rosabell
Summary: Retell of alternate YuGiOh, one that makes more sense to me at least. Pegasus forced Seto to win the Blue Eyes White Dragon from Yugi Motou by threatening Mokuba's life. Though cruel in public, Yugitachi learn Seto actually has a loving heart.
1. Chapter 1

Age of Destiny

Chapter 1

" Mokuba!" Seto called as he closed the door behind him. " Tadaima!"

" Ni-sama!" Mokuba called, and Seto could hear the patter of feet on the floor upstairs as his brother rushed out. Hm, that is strange. Normally Mokuba would just call back to acknowledge him. He quickly recollected his brother's call to see if he could detect anything worrisome about it and decided Mokuba had simply sounded delighted.

" Check this out!" Mokuba shoved an envelope in Seto's face. Jerking back, Seto chose to look at the envelope instead of rebuking Mokuba for nearly poking his eye with the corner.

" What is it?"

" Read it! Read it!"

Seto laughed. It must be good news. " First put my coat away for me, will you?"

" Hai!"

As his brother helped to put his stuff away, Seto read the letter as he headed upstairs. A warm glow of pride grew in his heart. His brother had been accepted into a scholar's program. It would not have meant much—such programs have a tendency to chase after poor spoiled rich boys, but Mokuba had gotten in with a full scholarship, which is extremely difficult for someone of his background.

He grinned. Mokuba was, actually, smarter than Seto. As a younger brother it kind of went with the package. He will never be as wise as Seto, but if Seto some crafts easy to master, he was still probably no match for Mokuba in the long run. He heard Mokuba run up the stairs as soon as everything was put away.

" I got accepted! Did you read it did you read it?"

" Hai. Congrats." Seto rubbed his brother's ridiculously long hair. " I am so proud of you. By the way you should trim that mane of yours."

" Iie."

" Just you wait." Seto sniffed, grinning. " I'll convince you yet."

" You'll never convince me." Mokuba stuck his tongue out at his brother.

_Oh, I will._ Seto thought, recalling the designs of a certain character in a videogame. " Well, this calls for a celebration."

" Cake! You'll bake me a cake, right? Double chocolate? Chocolate ice cream?"

" Er…" Seto glanced at the clock, already feeling tired from the suggestion. " How about I buy one."

There was a time, Seto mused, when they had cooks for this kind of thing. When Gozaburo adopted him there had been people all around the house. When Gozaburo died Seto had discretely gotten rid of them all. He was young, Mokuba was young, they had needed protection from outsiders. But more importantly, they had needed protection from within, and all those employees and butlers and guards were loyal to Gozaburo. Seto remembered struggling for a while with this decision. To live alone, in this incredibly big mansion, and risk attack from whoever was outside, or to live with servants who would guard the house but would know the house well enough to harm them?

He had gone with the former. Of course, once he fired them he would run the risk of those seeking vengeance. So he did everything tactfully. He moved servants to other places, made recommendations, and soon everyone found a job before leaving. Some of them better, in one way or another. And the house was theirs. His and Mokuba's.

Of course, that meant Seto had to do the cooking. Or Mokuba, but since today was a day of successes—

" Let me change. Ow!" He exclaimed when Mokuba sprawled onto him and hit his ribs. " Hey, you, stop, right now. Calm down and let me change out of these pants." Mokuba giggled and let his brother go.

oO

Five minutes later Seto was heading out to the store to buy a cake for his brother. He could use delivery, but that meant showing too many people the mansion. He was really tempted to risk that today though—he felt downright worn. But he opted to go out anyway, making sure to lock the doors carefully when he left.

Buying from a nearby bakery is not so hard. What never ceased to amuse him was how his attire sort of became a part of him to people's eyes. Dressed in a trenchcoat and dress pants, no one had any trouble recognizing him as the great CEO of Kaiba Corp. Dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, he gets old ladies pinching him on the arm when he helped them cross the street, and cashiers who never even bat an eyelash, like right now, as they open the cash register to give him change. It was kind of like Superman's glasses. Once he puts them on no one has any clue he is the famous hero. Once he takes them off no one suspected he was what's-his-name? Clark. Except that is in a comic book.

Seto looked at the cakes, choosing the darkest and the brownest and the creamiest. He shared Mokuba's love for chocolate, not that he would ever admit it. But being the elder and the mentor of a boy who would gladly dine on chocolate and only chocolate for the rest of his life required a bit of restraint on Seto's part. He had to set some kind of example, so normally chocolate was not so common in the Kaiba household. Today though, Mokuba had defeated all odds. Seto could not put to words how proud he was of his brother.

Ice cream. Just what Mokuba wanted. Seto paid for the cake, which had the word " Congratulations!" written over it in cream and sprinkles. He glanced a little wistfully at the other children with their parents and headed out. No one recognized him.

Today was a good day. He was happy. Today was a worthwhile day. He was almost humming to himself as he walked back to the mansion, then slowed to a stop at the front gate.

There was a limousine. An empty limousine. Someone had dropped by. Nervous, Seto recalled he had specifically told Mokuba not to open the door to any strangers. Hoping the child heeded that advice, he entered the front gate and glanced at the front door.

It was open. It was _broke _open.

Fear tightening his throat, Seto rushed through the door and skidded to a halt as five guns pointed at him. The bag with the cake dropped to the floor.

" Well well well, you did not disappoint." Pegasus J. Crawford appeared from between the guards. The older man regarded the boy musingly.

_He is so young._ Pegasus thought idly, and with a bit of regret. Suffering and struggle had matured the youth into a much older figure, but he is only fifteen, and dressed as he was in a GAP sweatshirt and gray sweatpants made him look every inch his age, even with his expression frozen into that of impassive authority.

" What are you doing here." Seto demanded. " I did not imagine you were the type, Mr. Crawford."

" No." Pegasus replied. " It is not for some trivial matter, I assure you. However, I have need of your services."

Instead of brushing Pegasus off, as he would like to do, Seto asked, " What are they?"

He had no clue where Mokuba is. He was not sure if Pegasus found him already. It was possible the man already did. If not, he had to stall for time, warn Mokuba before the boy could give away his presence.

As if reading his mind, Pegasus smirked. " We have already found your brother, Kaibaboy." He waved at his men. The guards parted to reveal two men holding on to Mokuba, one of them pointing a gun to his head. Mokuba was already gagged and bound.

Seto tried not to visibly swallow the wave of panic that passed over him when he realized they already had his brother. " As I said," He repeated with all the composure he had learned over the years, " _What are they?"_

Pegasus smirked. He could feel a little pity for the tall boy in front of him. Seto had suffered, yet survived all odds. To force him into such a position tugged a little at his conscience. However, if all goes as planned, Seto will come out of it relatively unharmed.

" I need you to do two things, Kaibaboy." Pegasus decided to cut straight to the point. " I need you to find the owner of the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon."

Seto blanched. " What?" He stared. _Nani? There are four?_ He did not even know this.

" Yes, there are four." Pegasus closed his eyes. " I am afraid the fourth is released by mistake. But in any case, I need you to find the owner of the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon and win it from him."

" Him?" Seto's glowing blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. " You already know who it is."

" Not quite." Pegasus marveled at the boy's perception of details. " But I know it is a he. And I know he is here in Domino, and how to find him."

" Then why don't you find him yourself and ask for it back?"

" Ah ah," Pegasus gestured at his men. Mokuba struggled defiantly in spite of the gun digging into his temple, " You, I'm afraid, are in no position to ask questions, except do what I ask you."

Fear prevented Seto from rolling his eyes. _It's easier to commit a crime than to ask this guy for a piece of paper. He really is nuts._

Pegasus ignored that thought. For all Seto's intelligence, the young Kaiba could not possibly understand the ultimate plan. " You are to get it back to me, either whole or in pieces. Understand?"

This time Seto swallowed. " And once I get it back to you, you will let Mokuba go."

_Let him believe it for now. He has no choice, even if he is rightfully skeptical._ " Yes."

Seto still hesitated. _This is a very roundabout way. Something's not right here. _" What do you need to get rid of this Blue Eyes so badly for?"

" Kaiba, my boy," Pegasus clucked his tongue reproachfully, " Haven't you ever been taught never to question your elders?"

" That's not how I got here and you know it." Seto growled. _What does he want?_

" That matters not." Pegasus waved his men out. They took Mokuba, still kicking and struggling—that kid has guts—out the mansion into the waiting limousine. Pegasus remained with the guards, who still had their guns trained on Seto. " Go to Domino High and find the one who has the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon. Don't disappoint me. You are a smart child. I'm sure you know the consequences of failure. Oh, and no police, or you know, things might be unpleasant for dear little Mokuba…"

The door slammed shut behind him.

oO

Seto stood in the darkness for a long time, trying to grasp what just happened. He was not sure when he started sobbing, but he was not aware of it for a long time, and even when he was aware he could not stop. For the second time in his life Seto did not know what to do. The first time was when his parents died in that horrid car crash, and his life changed forever. Mokuba was in real danger, and Seto did not know how to save him.

He had been so naïve! He should have had security guards, at least, or something. He should have hired a staff when he turned fourteen, if only for Mokuba's sake. Another crew…but the house had been his and Mokuba's and theirs alone and for so long nothing like this has happened! But of course something like this was bound to happen. He was Seto Kaiba! He should have expected this!

Seto wiped the tears from his face and tried to control his hiccups. He was alone, without a friend or family now that Mokuba is gone and he had no one to turn for help. With effort he remembered he did not need anyone's help. He had managed this far, this was only another obstacle. He and Mokuba had survived so much together. Madmen will not take Mokuba away from him. He could figure out what to do. First, do as Pegasus says. Domino High…he can arrange some visit over to the school under pretense of donations or something…and sit in a few classes, hopefully someone will be showing off their Blue Eyes White Dragon during lunch or in between classes…Seto will just buy it off from them and return it to Pegasus and hopefully…hopefully Pegasus will return Mokuba to him…

Iie, Pegasus would not. There was something bigger, not to mention Pegasus would require something else to ensure Seto never reported him…Seto's eyes landed on the melting cake at the doorway. He fought the urge to burst into tears again. It was bewildering, what just happened, but he was Seto Kaiba.

Taking a deep breath, Seto took the cake and placed it in the fridge for _when _Mokuba comes back. Not if. Mokuba must come back. Even if Seto had to trade places with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Age of Destiny

Chapter 2

" Your move, Jou."

Yugi smiled sweetly while Jou flushed.

" Kuso!" He ranted. " I have nothing for this!"

" Quit whining." Anzu remarked with disinterest. " Either play or forfeit."

Everyone in the room was trying to pretend not to notice the very awe-inspiring presence of the Duel Monsters Champion. Seto sat next to the group looking on to the duel, remaining silent for the most part except a soft sigh. Jou, of course, was rattled that he had to lose so blatantly in front of Seto Kaiba.

" Aw fine," He slammed down the card, " Your turn. I'm leaving it all to fate."

" Fate isn't too pleased with you apparently," Honda remarked when Yugi revealed his next card.

Jou sighed, slamming the rest of his hand down, " Man, I'll never be as good as Yugi."

Seto studied the group a little more, mostly because they looked so peculiar. Yugi, the one that just beat Jou, looked like he was no more than ten or eleven. His hair had been dyed in all sorts of colors as if the boy did it all by accident. Jou looked normal enough in his school uniform, but Honda had that peculiar spike in his hair like he was trying to be a unicorn. And Anzu's shorts, or skirt, he was not sure which, were so high Seto wondered how the school allowed her to get away with that. _If I were in charge of this school,_ Seto thought ruefully, _that girl would be expelled._

He wondered how he was supposed to find the Blue Eyes discretely. The key was being discrete. Because if he announced to the public that he wanted the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon, first of all the media might turn against him and therefore the owner of the Blue Eyes. If he announced in the school, the students might not cooperate and may pressure the owner to keeping the card because Seto Kaiba already had three cards. Indeed, had it been up to him, Seto would not even care for the fourth Blue Eyes. It was not really the largest threat; he had three already, and there were ways to beat the Blue Eyes White Dragon using other cards. He, at least, was not so cheap. For some reason though, Pegasus's grand plan involved getting rid of the Blue Eyes…quite frankly Seto was in no mood to question it. He just wanted to get his brother back.

Feeling old, he wondered if he would have any more of a chance eavesdropping for any news than he would had he actually done it the daft way. Just then it seemed, his prayers were answered.

" Ji-chan has this awesome card I want you guys to see." Yugi told his friends. " We have a game shop not too far from here and it has a lot of cards. If you want to come over after school I can convince him to show it to you."

" Sure." Honda shrugged. " I got nothing to do."

" Me neither." Anzu mimicked Honda's posture, hand on a hip.

" Egh, maybe I can improve my deck." Jou nodded. " Ain't got nothin' to do at home."

_Game shop._ Seto thought, latching on to that detail. If anyone has the fourth Blue Eyes, odds were it was a game shop owner. The Blue Eyes is too obscure by itself, it might arrive in a bulk package. And who knows, maybe the very card Yugi had been talking about _was _the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

oO

_Beautiful._ Pegasus marveled at the boy's brilliance. _He figured it out._ He knew Seto would not disappoint. The boy had figured it out easily enough. He almost wondered if the boy would lose the duel.

It would be a hard duel for the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, indeed. However, the spirit had two advantages. First, he is a Millennium spirit, which meant he had much more experience with such games than Seto Kaiba. For all the boy's cunning, Seto could not match the puzzle's entity in such a battle. Second, Seto Kaiba had barely slept a wink since his brother's kidnapping. As strong and determined as Seto Kaiba was, there was no way the boy's mind can continue function at the same caliber as he did before. While Seto will still be formidable, he will not be unstoppable. Which was why Pegasus had to force him into such a condition. Poor child, Pegasus mused. Someday he will pay Seto back for his services. For now though, things will have to play out as they are planned.

After which, of course, news would spread. Duel Monsters Champion lost to an inconspicuous teenager. Granted, Yugi Motou was of pretty much the same age as Seto Kaiba, but that would not be what the world remembers, and is not a detail Pegasus needed to keep in mind. Not for his plan.

_Beloved,_ his thoughts turned to his wife, _Our reunion approaches._

oO

The game shop was mostly empty. Yugi's grandfather cleaned the counters with a wet rag. The bell on the door rang as the door opened. The old man looked up at the sudden loud chatter.

" What do you suppose he's really doin' there?" Jou was asking. " Weird for him to suddenly drop by. He's never done that before."

" He was paying a lot of attention to the duel." Anzu observed.

" Nah, I think he's just really amazed by Yugi's hair."

" Hey!" Yugi scowled. " My hair is totally fine."

" Uh-huh. Sure. He totally wasn't just staring at your hair, thinking you're crazy."

" Tadaima, Ji-chan!" Yugi noticed his grandfather there. " You remember my friends, right?"

Sugoruku was tempted to say no, but he grinned, instead replying, " Of course. How was school?"

" It was alright." Yugi replied. " We got a free period because our sensei was absent. Not sure what happened, we just got a substitute. Say, Ji-chan, do you still have that super-rare card?"

" Hai, so?" Sugoruku blinked. " Do your friends want to see it?"

" It's what we're here for." Jou grinned, leaning against the counter.

" Come on, Grandpa, you can show it to them." Yugi begged. " Especially Jou!"

Considering that these were teenagers, people who were impossibly young to Sugoruku, the old man did not need a lot of convincing, other than to joke with them in order to get them flustered. Arthur's card he kept in a locked box, which he opened beneath the counter. He held it out.

" Whoa, 3000 attack points and 2500 defense." Jou whistled. " I can totally see why it's rare."

" You put a lot of effort in keeping its condition," Anzu noticed. " What's with all the plastic?"

" It was given to me by a very special friend of mine." Sugoruku replied. " I can't let anything happen to it."

" Whoa. You better put it back then." Honda suggested. " Although that's pretty cool."

" Say, maybe we can draw it out or something and practice with it." Yugi poked Jou in the ribs. " You can probably improve just by thinking up tricks to defeat _him._"

Sugoruku was beginning to put it away, while Jou exclaimed, " Hai, that's a good idea!"

The bell jingled. Everyone froze and turned around. Standing at the game shop entrance was the Duelist Champion.

Scared witless, Yugi could only stare. His grandfather was not so speechless, however.

" May I help you?" Sugoruku called, while putting the card fully away. " Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

Seto Kaiba did not answer immediately, but he approached the counter, ignoring the teens. " May I see that card you just put away?"

Sugoruku looked at him warily. " It's not for sale." He clarified.

Kaiba was, again, silent for a long time. " Was it a Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

The teenagers looked at each other in confusion.

" If it is?" Sugoruku responded.

Something flickered over Kaiba's face. No one was sure what it was. " I'll pay any price for it."

" Gomen nasai," Sugoruku placed his hands on the counter and folded them. " As I said before, it is not for sale."

" Are you serious?" Kaiba's voice sounded slightly higher, like from urgency.

" I'm afraid so." Sugoruku tilted his head. " Now, is there something else I can help you with?"

The old man saw no need to explain to this young fellow the details of why this card meant so much to him. Seto Kaiba could not possibly explain the situation he was in. Not to a stranger.

" What about cards." Kaiba offered. " My whole collection for that card."

" Is there something else I can help you with," Sugoruku repeated, not sure whether there was something wrong with him. " I'm afraid I cannot part with this card under any circumstances."

_What about your family? _Seto thought desperately, praying that Mokuba was alright, that Pegasus had not hurt him. " I need that card," He told the man, unable to voice his troubles but unable to stop trying.

" Yo," Jou grabbed him by the arm and shoved him slightly, " He said it's not for sale. What the hell is your problem?"

" Hai," Honda agreed. " Man, what's with the attitude?"

Temper exploding from distress, Seto threw Jou's hand off and glared at the man. " I will get that card." He hissed. _No matter what happens to me._

He whirled around and walked briskly away, trenchcoat flapping behind him. The bell announced his departure.

Honda cursed.

" Whoa, that dude's got problems."

Yugi looked over at his grandfather and noticed the old man was frowning. He wondered why.


	3. Chapter 3

Age of Destiny

Chapter 3

Shadi paced. He was not certain what it was that made him so restless, but there was a taste of anxiety in the air and he could not fathom how to get rid of it. Was it the Millennium Items? It could not be. Save the one he gave to Crawford, all the others were relatively dormant, and none of them are broadcasting any distress signal. Could it be the Pharaoh? Could it be Atemu?

" You are wearing out the floor." Ishizu told him. " I am worried too, but I am not quite as fidgety as you are, currently."

" Do you know why you are worried?" Shadi asked. " Because I do not know what I am nervous about."

" You are hearing the distress calls of the High Priest." Ishizu replied.

Shadi froze then. " Which one?" He asked. " Mahaado?" Malik had recently gone very quiet, but he has not done anything to suggest he was distressed. He merely seemed tired.

" No." Ishizu replied. " High Priest Seto."

Shadi wanted to sit down. He looked at her for a moment in absolute shock, then summoned the will to find a place to sit. " Seto? He is alive? Where in Ra's name is he? How come you never said…?"

" It was not made known to me until now." Ishizu reached to feel her Tauk. " And even now, his identity remains foggy."

The Tauk had been acting strange as well. Ishizu had feared it would stop obeying her before the prophecy is fulfilled. Shadi was not certain the items would do that, but it was starting to seem more and more possible.

" Is he…is he in good health?" Shadi asked.

" I know not."

Shadi rose again. " You realize what this means," He turned to Ishizu. " If their interests conflict,"

" I have the utmost confidence they will not." Ishizu replied. " The High Priest was a good man, despite all that happened."

" Probably too good." Shadi commented wistfully. " I hope his health is better. I doubt the Pharaoh can stand losing him yet again."

Ishizu bowed her head, remember the events of the distant past. " The Thief King is here as well." She told Shadi. " Though he remembers nothing."

" Just as well he should not." Shadi replied. " No matter what, he is a thief."

" He may spare Seto had he remembered." Ishizu replied. " Hopefully, Seto will not be easy to find for him."

" Assuming he will have anything to do with the prophecy at all."

" He must. What happened in the past is about to reoccur in this new era."

" But he could have nothing to do with it all the same." Shadi replied. " The prophecy is open-ended, and does not speak of any other participant than the Chosen Pharaoh."

Ishizu bowed her head. " If he is present, we may have more hope than we thought."

Shadi did not reply to this. " The time approaches." He said instead.

" It does." Ishizu agreed. " We must be ready."

oO

Seto Kaiba was not above cutthroat tactics. He was a little reluctant, however, to do anything too harmful to the old man. Hiring a thief of any sort may result in calamities he did not wish to toggle with.

Feeling his hands were tied, the boy paced in his office. So far the kidnapping had been kept under wraps, just as Crawford wanted it. Seto himself did not wish for the kidnapping to be made known anyway. It invited trouble, not all of which Seto understood, but trouble nonetheless. He still did not understand Crawford's motive, and that worried him the most. What if all of this was for nothing? It really depends on what Pegasus is aiming for. That goal could determine whether or not it is possible at all for Mokuba to survive.

He should hire a private investigator. Seto had thought about that a lot. Something did not feel right, however. He had no idea what conditions Mokuba was kept in. He worried about what Crawford's men might do to him. Horrible thoughts crossed his mind.

He would have to do things by force, then. He had no choice. He could not trust this man to reveal to him the dark truth, and expect this man to keep this secret. It would be unfair for the old man, but Seto Kaiba was willing to take whatever consequences. He had to save Mokuba.

Mokuba is all that matters.

Having decided this, Seto reached for his phone.

oO

_He is a quick learner. _Pegasus realized when he saw what Seto was about to do. Desperation had taken over the boy. He almost wished he could comfort the poor child by reassuring him that his brother is well taken care of. Mokuba had been causing trouble ever since he arrived at Industrial Illusions, but Pegasus had ordered his men to be patient with the boy. Once Mokuba realized he was unable to escape off the island, he had turned his attentions from his own welfare to his brother's. Pegasus assured the child that the older Kaiba is not in any sort of danger, and that Pegasus himself would take care of any problems that arose when the time comes. Mokuba did not believe him, but that was to be expected. He had plans, plans that could not be voiced. But the children's mutual devotion touched him. He vowed to do whatever he could to help Seto along.

With this in mind, he quickly dialed Kaiba's number.

The phone rang a few times, and Seto's voice, a little uncertain, answered. " Moshi moshi?"

" Ah, Kaibaboy," Pegasus greeted. " I trust you have found the owner of the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon."

There was a long silence. Kaiba was unnerved. Pegasus had called him as he was just about to dial Yugi Mutou's number.

" How did you know." Seto asked.

" That matters not." Pegasus could sense a new fear forming in the boy's mind. _Is he spying on me? Of course he's spying on me._ The boy was thinking. " What matters is the second task I have for you to perform."

Another long hesitation. " What do you want."

" I want you to duel the owner's grandson."

There was a pause again. " Nani?" Kaiba exclaimed in disbelief. " What the hell are you up to, Crawford? You kidnapped my brother to force me to play a card game with an old man's grandson?" _Kami-sama he's crazy, he's crazy, I have to trace this call somehow…  
_

" There is a bigger plan, I assure you." Pegasus told him understandingly. " Do not bother tracing this call." He ignored the spark of fear in the other boy's mind. " You will be well rewarded once you succeed, and your brother will be returned to you. If not, however, I have men here who love to play with knives. I will contact you when you are finished."

He hung up. There. Now Seto would not go along with his first plan. The Blue Eyes White Dragon was not his ultimate goal. He had wanted the boy to duel Yugi Mutou, not simply steal a piece of cardboard. Of course, this probably made even less sense to the boy. He could understand Seto's confusion.

_Hurry things along, _Pegasus thought, _That way you are spared further grief. Once this is over, I assure you, you will be left in peace. For now, I have a quest to undertake._

oO

" He wants to duel me??"

While Seto Kaiba was a duelist champion, and in this decade Duel Monsters had become an even greater test of skill than chess or go, it still seemed strange for someone like the CEO of Kaiba Corp to be so obsessed over a single Blue Eyes White Dragon.

" There's something wrong." Sugoruku told Yugi. " I don't know what it is, but this doesn't feel right."

" Well, yeah, he wants to duel me of all people."

" Maybe he saw how you beat Jou?" Honda suggested.

Sugoruku frowned. " He doesn't actually want a card. Something else is going on. He was willing to trade his whole collection, pay any price, for a card that is really not that important in the long run."

" Maybe he wants to impress a girl," Jou snickered, " Some gal wouldn't go out with him unless he has another Blue Eyes, eh?"

" I don't like this." Yugi's grandfather continued. " Don't go, Yugi."

" Hey, I get a duel with the Duelist Champion. Why turn it down?" Yugi looked at his grandfather. " Surely, this could totally go into the media and I'd be famous, right?"

" He's not doing it so you can get famous."

" That's true. This is so weird." But Yugi was getting curious. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. " What if he is interested in my puzzle?"

" Why the blazes would he want your puzzle?" Honda blinked.

" It is an Egyptian artifact."

" But he wanted your grandpa's Blue, not your pyramid. It's a pretty roundabout way of doing things if he wanted your puzzle."

" Maybe he got confused."

Yugi laughed. " Well, can we really refuse such a request from the Great Seto Kaiba?"

" I don't like this, Yugi." Sugoruku warned. " Be careful."

" Duh, Ji-chan!"

" Hey, it sort of a win-win situation. Even if Yugi loses it'll be fine because it's Seto Kaiba. But if Yugi beats him," Honda grinned.

" Well he can't make you give him the Blue Eyes even if you lose so I guess." Jou shrugged.

" Using a card game to win a Blue Eyes?" Yugi scowled. " Weirdo. But yeah, it's not like he can force me to hand over the card if I firmly refuse. So Ji-chan, can I borrow it for this game?"

Sugoruku folded his arms. " Is it really that important for you to win this game Yugi?"

" Come on Ji-chan! It's Seto Kaiba! He's like the joy and pride of Japan and he's asking _me _to duel him."

" You'd be in his territory, Yugi." The wise man replied. " Do you really think it is wise to hand everything to him at once?"

Not understanding, Yugi just moped for a bit. " It's just a card game." He muttered, then whined, " Come on Ji-chan! It's just a card game. So what if I lose? I won't hand over the card, promise."

Sugoruku sighed, feeling troubled.

oO

Using a card game to win a card was ultimately what Pegasus had been aiming for.He smiled at the bewilderment in young Seto's mind. The boy managed to keep a straight face and hide his own incredulity when facing the other teenagers, and his high rank, power, and temper forbade any questions. Still, the child was afraid of a darker, more sinister plan. The fear distracted him during the game.

Of course, that, and only Yugi Mutou, or any bearer of the Millennium Puzzle, could assemble all five pieces of Exodia in time to win in the end.

Desperation had taken over Kaiba completely at that point. He did not care so much about losing the game as much as what Pegasus might do if he failed to deliver the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Pegasus watched as the teen ordered his guards to restrain everyone and bring him Mutou's cards. Taking out the hidden Blue Eyes that Yugi never drew to use, Kaiba quickly shredded it in half.

But then the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle did something unexpected. Angered by this assault, he suddenly reached out one of his hands. Pegasus did not hear what he said because Seto did not either, but pain suddenly bloomed in the boy's mind.

His Millennium Eye seared. Pegasus clutched at it with a strangled cry. He did not realize his guards had come to try to help him, not understanding what was happening. Suddenly he could sense all the other Millennium Items burning and glowing as well. All except for the puzzle, which remained strangely ignorant of everything else. He could sense their owners, Shadi in Egypt and Ishizu Ishtar in Egypt, Ryou Bakura in England, Malik Ishtar...he seemed to be in the Shadow Realm. They were all reacting to the spirit's spell, but not because of the fact it was cast.

_Ra! _He heard Ishizu exclaim, _He cast it on Seto!_

The horror in these words woke a new magic in the items, and Pegasus suddenly saw Seto Kaiba, except he was not Seto Kaiba. He was High Priest Seto, pale, weak, deathly ill, coughing blood up frightfully, his glazed blue eyes staring, unfocused, at the ceiling of his quarters. Someone was crying. A man was crying. Pegasus could not see who it was.

Then rapidly the image disappeared.

Seto's mind had gone silent and blank. It worried Pegasus a bit, but he then concentrated on getting himself back up from the floor. His skull hurt tremendously, and he was suddenly certain some fatal error had been committed. Something bad had happened. Seto should not have been hurt. Not because it was never in Pegasus's plans, but because of something even deeper, and magic-related. It felt like hurting Seto was forbidden by some higher power.

He glanced up and saw the portrait of his wife. In an instant, the dreadful feeling was gone. Seto Kaiba was beaten by Yugi Mutou. The plan is going well. He must concentrate on the goal. The final goal. Anyone else...

Anyone else can take care of themselves.


	4. Chapter 4

Age of Destiny

Chapter 4

Unaware of what he did to Kaiba, Yugi and his friends were unable to answer the guards' frantic questions. Something had happened to the CEO, but no one knew what happened, or how. Somehow the boy just collapsed. He did not even scream.

Fuming indignantly over Yugi's cards, no one in the group could really bring themselves to sympathize with Kaiba's sudden faint. The fact that what just transpired made absolutely no sense, given any agenda the teenagers could come up with, only served to make them feel Kaiba got his just desserts. Yugi was far more worried about how he was supposed to explain all of this to his grandfather.

" Well, it's not really your fault." Jou assured Yugi. " I mean, who knew a rich fat honcho would suddenly up and take your cards by force?"

" Isn't that what rich fat honchos kind of do," Yugi deadpanned, " You know, take things by force. That, and blackmail. And bribery. Kami-sama, I was such an idiot! Ji-chan even pointed out, I'd be walking right into his territory. Never mind I had you guys. And it was probably the work of spirits that he fainted when he did. Otherwise, I doubt we'd be able to get out of there in one piece."\

" Well, what were you going to do? Refuse the smartest billionaire in the world a card game?" Anzu inquired.

" Hai! It was what I should have done."

" It would have been all over the news."

" And I wouldn't have gotten my grandpa's card torn."

Sugoruku, as it turned out, was much more relieved that his only grandson was unharmed than he was frustrated that a piece of paper was torn in half.

" That puzzle must be a good luck charm," Sugoruku exclaimed, " The way things all happened."

" Gomen nasai," Yugi said again,

" Iie, iie," Sugoruku shook his head. " An uncivilized act, that young man. I would never expect that sort of thing from someone who is supposed to be so refined. This is not your fault, Yugi."

oO

The mental attack had left Seto Kaiba in a coma. The good news was, it enabled Ishizu and Shadi to locate him.Since Ishizu had preparations to attend to,Shadi was the only one free to traverse the Shadow Realm to Seto's side. He used the link between the Millennium Items to keep in contact with Ishizu.

It was a slightly trying matter of convincing the hospital he was Kaiba's friend. Shadi had enough foresight to realize he needed to at least know Seto's last name, which was not hard because it was all over the news. The harder part was realizing exactly what position Seto stood in society. He could not say he was surprised, as High Priest Seto had been intelligent in the past, and it only serves to justify Seto Kaiba's current status as CEO. However, it took more time than he liked to figure out what exactly Seto was doing in order to achieve his status. Apparently, Seto was selling media technology. His current project is directly related with Duel Monsters, but it was announced that should the holograms be a success, he will begin to work on holographic interfaces over the internet. The recent news showed that Kaiba Corp had sold a supply of holographic technology to Industrial Illusions, and that these would be tested in the upcoming Duelist Kingdom Tournament.

Guarding the Millennium Items had sheltered Shadi from current events for too long. He was very uneasy about dealing with the Japanese. Thankfully, Seto's firm grip on his private life left much room for Shadi to maneuver, and he eventually was allowed to visit the great CEO in person.

Just as young and small as the High Priest.

_Well he is healthier. I think he is taller too. _Shadi told Ishizu. _But a splitting image.It is a bit unnerving._

_What did he do to irk the Pharaoh? _Ishizu asked.

_Only he knows, I think, and the Pharaoh. _Shadi considered which one would be better to ask.Feeling he was visiting Seto to make sure the boy was relatively unharmed anyway, Shadi decided to see if he could not ask Seto first.

_The Pharaoh's Mind Crush was something only Seto could reverse. _Ishizu lamented. _And Atemu _never _used it on his cousin, ever._

_We will do what we can. The Pharaoh is not at his full strength yet. _That being said, Shadi took care to use illusions to mask the cameras. He took out his Millennium Key, considered the boy's young face, and gently inserted the key into the child's forehead.

oO

The blow from the Pharaoh's mind crush was easy to see. The key normally organizes the mind into rooms for the millennium user to walk through, but Seto's mind had no rooms to yield. It was all a big mess, dark and foreboding. Seeing this, Shadi's heart fell. Have they lost Seto so soon?

There was a soft cry to his left. Glancing over, Shadi beheld the thin figure of the reincarnated Priest. He was lying on his back, trying his best to roll over, but he seemed to be stunned somehow. Hope rising, for Shadi knew that normally when the mental rooms are in such disarray, the soul itself is normally completely absent from the mind, Shadi hurried over to the boy.

" Good, you are still here." Shadi took the boy's shoulders into his arms. Contrary to what he was wearing in the real world, Seto's soul was wearing a soft sweatshirt and sweatpants. " Ishizu, he is still here."

_How is he? _The key echoed with her voice.

" Winded, I think." Shadi frowned, looking around. " This is peculiar. It was as if the Pharaoh had loaded his spell to its full capacity, but had completely missed its target."

The Millennium Tauk is special in that it works with what its owner already knows. The more the owner knows, the more it reveals. This bit of information was enough for Ishizu to instantly determine exactly what happened.

_He missed because his target did not exist. _Ishizu informed Shadi. _He was trying to eliminate Seto's evil. The dark magic alone destroyed his mental chambers, not the actual spell._

" After all these years he is still so sensitive to dark magic." Shadi bemoaned. " How am I supposed to help him if my magic itself would harm his mind?"

But Ishizu was seeing further into the past. _He was dueling the Pharaoh._ She said. _He was trying to get his Blue Eyes White Dragon. He tore it, it enraged the Pharaoh._

" He tore it?" Shadi blinked. " Why?"

_He was desperate. It was a matter of life and death. _Ishizu continued. _The tauk is showing me events in reverse._

Shadi resisted the urge to laugh. He wished he could see Ishizu's expression. " Well, what can you make of it?"

_Someone else is forcing Seto to duel Yugi Mutou. Pegasus J. Crawford. He came to Seto Kaiba's home not too long ago and captured his brother._

" Seto has a brother?"

_Mokuba Kaiba. _Ishizu sounded frustrated. _I told you giving the eye to a grieving man was a bad idea._

" The Millennium Eye chose him." Shadi replied. " It is not our place to judge the items, Ishizu."

_Perhaps not. Perhaps it is. _ Ishizu replied. _We know now the gods treasure beings other than Kings and Queens. If claiming the Millennium Eye allows such a man to harm a gift from the gods, perhaps all of us will have to wait yet another 3000 years._

Seto was starting to recover. He blinked up at Shadi faintly, still in shock. " N-nani?" He whispered, his body shaking.

" It is alright." Shadi cradled him. " You are hurt, but you will be fine."

Seto gasped, trying to calm his trembling with no success. " I...Mutou...he...my brother..."

_Is he alright?_

Seto wailed in discomfort as Ishizu's voice echoed in his mind. Knowing what was happening, Shadi quickly said, " Can you wake for me?"

" Uh?"

" Wake." Shadi replied. " You are unconscious right now. If you wake up you will feel better."

" I'll...I'll try."

oO

Seto grabbed his head. " Ow..." He eyed the key Shadi withdrew nervously. " I'm going insane."

" Iie." Shadi replied. " I assure you, this is all very real."

" Who are you?" Seto asked nervously, " And what do you want?"

" Stay calm."

" Argh!" Seto writhed on the bed. " What did Mutou do to me?"

" Easy." Shadi soothed. " I will explain everything, but you have to calm down."

Seto was not calming down however. He wailed again, this time in anguish, until tears leaked from his vivid blue eyes. His heart rate quickened.

Alarmed, Shadi stepped back as the nurses and doctors rushed into the room. Seto was in unbearable pain. He clutched at his head as if trying to tear his hair out. The nurses forced his arms back down.

_What are we going to do? _Shadi exclaimed. _There would not happen to be a Kisara around here would there?_

_Any Light magician would do, but they might be extinct by now. _Ishizu replied. _What is wrong?_

_He is in a great deal of pain. And if Seto Kaiba is anything like High Priest Seto, he would not show it unless it is really bad._

_Well if you say his mental chambers have been completely damaged, doubtless he would feel its loss most keenly._ Ishizu pointed out. _Try and see if you cannot take his soul to the Shadow Realm for now. The Blue Eyes White Dragon may substitute whatever Light Magicians can afford._

_That is a good idea. _Shadi agreed. He waited until Seto's cries were nothing but weakened moans, and his heart rate had slowed from exhaustion. The doctors gave the boy a puzzled look, not certain what they were dealing with. At length they left the room, pushing Shadi out as well, since the great Kaiba needed his rest.

Shadi took the boy's soul into the Shadow Realm. To his surprise, the Blue Eyes White Dragon was already waiting for him. Seto was once again unconscious.

The dragon pushed Shadi aside and nosed Seto's fallen body over to herself. Minutes later two other dragons joined her.the giant beasts clamored at each other for a moment before the first female finally managed to lift the boy in her mouth.

Feeling disturbed, Shadi watched as the dragon adjusted her hold on the boy to prevent her teeth from digging into him. The dragons around her growled as if arguing with her. Even though their maneuvering worried Shadi, Seto was waking up. He started when he realized a dragon had clamped her jaws around his middle and grabbed at her long teeth. The Blue Eyes ignored this.

Seto turned his head, looking straight at Shadi. His blue eyes were filled with terror. " Help," He cried out, " Onegai,"

" Easy." Shadi felt doubtful, but it would not do either of them any good for Seto to know. " They are helping you."

" Helping me?" Seto could not support his back any longer and let it drop awkwardly, for he was facing up. The Blue Eyes lowered her head to shift him. Seto tried to flee, but he was too stunned from the Mind Crush to do more than stagger. Once again, the Blue Eyes captured him gently in her jaws, but instead of holding him there, she lifted him to another one's head.

It was a long drop. Seto held on.

" Nani?" He cried out, bewildered. One of the dragons lowered his head down. Shadi took his chances and climbed onto his head.

" Do not worry." Shadi told Seto. " They are helping you, as I said. Just hold on."

" Where are they taking us?"

" I do not know." Shadi replied. " But wherever it is, these are your servants. Trust them."

Seto gave him a dubious glance, but though his incredulity did not diminish, his terror and weakness were both diminishing. He turned his head away and asked no more questions as the dragons began to fly.

oO

By evening the public knew Mokuba Kaiba was missing. The fact that he did not visit his brother said as much, and the fact that the child had neither been seen in school nor around the company buildings for the past month also confirmed it. It was also revealed that Kaiba had been absent for a cumulative number of 2 weeks from his office, going there on and off and reportedly anxious and agitated. No private detective was hired that they knew of, but it was known that he dueled a Yugi Mutou and lost, and now he is at the hospital.

Yugi had strongly felt Kaiba got his just reward for being such a prick when he left Kaiba Corp, but everyone knew how much Seto Kaiba adored his brother. The media announced that Seto Kaiba's recent strange activities, such as his sudden deep interest in the city of Domino and of game shops and Duel Monsters in general, suggested he was somehow involved in some scandal.

Yugi felt a little bad now.

" He shouldn't have taken your grandpa's card anyway." Anzu declared from her homework. " He could have explained."

" What if he couldn't? He couldn't hire a private investigator."

" Why not? Maybe he did. Maybe some idiot decided to play around with Kaiba a little. Who knows. But it would explain why he was acting so out of character."

" It would."

" Guys, can we work on the homework?" Honda complained. Silence fell for a while as everyone obliged.

Half an hour later, Yugi sighed in frustration. " You think it was me?" He asked Anzu.

" What was you?"

" What happened to Kaiba."

" What do you mean?" Jou asked.

" I remember yelling something at him right before he fell." Yugi frowned. " I don't know what I said, but, I don't know. You think it was me?"

" Yugi, are you feeling okay?" Honda gave him an odd look. " Why the blazes would him collapsing be something you yelled? What, you uttered an extremely bad curse word or something?"

" I don't know!"

" Get over yourself Yugi." Anzu laughed. " So you won the game. You can't suddenly start boasting having psychic powers."

Yugi laughed nervously, glancing down at his puzzle. " Yeah, I guess."


	5. Chapter 5

Age of Destiny

Chapter 5

After seeing Seto safely to the dragon's den, as was the place they ended up taking him, Shadi was charged with fixing up Seto's mental chambers in the absence of its inhabitant.Without Seto's soul, it was a relatively easy business. The foundations were destroyed, but the contents were not. It was simply a matter of reconstructing the walls and letting everything arrange themselves.

It was a fascinating mind, in the end. Shadi walked along the corridors and peered into the neat rooms. Though the true spark of the mind is from the soul, the chambers still retained evidence of Seto's presence.

_Do not linger too long in there,_ Ishizu warned. _We have helped Seto. If you stay there you run the risk of either harming him or getting harmed._

" I am fine." Shadi insisted. " The key protects me."

_The key opened the door of his mental barriers._ Ishizu scolded. _Your own experience prevents you from getting trapped._

" You cannot get trapped here. It is too organized. Not to mention, without his soul, the chambers do not change."

_Even so, have you entered the mind of one who was crushed before?_

" No." Shadi conceded. " There was never any need." He had been afraid there would not be any need in Seto's case.

_We are fortunate Mind Crush turns out to be as specific as it is._

" So is Seto." Shadi looked in one of the rooms. He was suddenly in what looked to be a field. Horses galloped to the fences. Shadi followed slowly.

" Ni-sama!" A boy called. " Ni-sama, look, there's one with a foal!"

A slightly younger Seto Kaiba was grinning from about twenty feet behind where the black-haired child climbed at the fence.　" Know what kind of horse that is Mokuba?"

" What kind?"

" It's a Ferghana horse." Seto answered. " They say its sweat is the color of blood."

" Ew!" Mokuba stuck his tongue out at his brother. " That's gross!"

Seto laughed.

" Well," Shadi exclaimed with some surprise, " His memories are here. And active."

Ishizu made no comment.

The field glistened in the sun. " Can I ride one of them?" Mokuba was asking his brother.

" These aren't our horses."

" Well can you ask them if I can ride?"

" How am I supposed to ask?" Seto laughed further. " They don't even know we're looking at them, Mokuba!"

" But you're Seto Kaiba!"

" So?" Seto chuckled. " Come on, you've had your fun. Let's get going."

" He is healthy." Shadi murmured. " Healthy, I think, like during that short time he spent with the Tomb Robber." His image was faint and transparent, an indication that Seto was aware of himself but could not see himself. Like his soul, he was wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants, though instead of pale gray-blue they were dark navy this time.

" Come on!"

" You look like a horse yourself, with that mane of yours." Seto chuckled as Mokuba fumed indignantly.

" Stop making fun of my hair!"

" You brought it on yourself."

The mental chamber suddenly rocked. It leveled, but Shadi was startled.

" Easy," He whispered, even though the spirit was not there to hear. " I am a friend."

_Get out of there _now. Ishizu ordered.

Deciding she was right, Shadi withdrew.

oO

A package arrived at the Kami Game shop the next afternoon, the sticker showed it was delivered overnight.The bold characters on the box indicated it had been shipped from Industrial Illusions.

" Looks like Crawford found out you put Seto Kaiba in the hospital." Jou laughed.

" Maybe it's an invitation to that Duelist Kingdom Tournament." Yugi opened the package. " At least one good thing came out of that affair."

Inside the package was an old fashioned tape, a glove with a plastic rim and two star pieces that seemed to fit into the star-shaped imprints that lined the rim of the glove.

" Way to go." Honda muttered, unimpressed. " He sends an old tape. Do you even have a VCR?"

Luckily, Sugoruku did have a VCR. Yugi contemplated whether Pegasus J. Crawford sent the tape as a type of insult, or if there was some other reason he sent a tape instead of a DVD. Considering most champions did not originally come from wealthy backgrounds, he decided it must be the latter.

" Well, it looks like the only thing to do is play the tape." Anzu inserted the tape into the television. " Wonder why he couldn't just do things by email."

Sure enough, as Anzu predicted, Pegasus J. Crawford himself appeared on the screen. At first it did not seem too strange. Pegasus started out as anyone would when addressing someone through video.

" Hello, Mutou Yugi. I am Pegasus J. Crawford, founder of Industrial Illusions. I am sure you know me, Mutou-san, and you are curious why I have sent this package. Contained in the package you may have found a glove and two star-shaped pieces. These are to be worn in the upcoming Duelist Kingdom Tournament, to be held within a week of today. In light of recent events, I am honored to invite you to this tournament. The winning champion will duel me personally and may win 3 million American dollars and inherit Industrial Illusions in the near future."

" He's going to retire?" Honda stared at Yugi.

" Looks that way."

" Three million American dollars!" Jou cried. " That's...that's..."

" Yeah, that will make one rich alright."

" That's just what I need!" Jou cried.

Everyone gave Jou an odd look, but Jou was ignoring them.

Pegasus had been speaking all this time, but as everyone turned their attentions back to the screen, something peculiar happened.

" The ship will be leaving the bay at eight-o-clock sharp." Pegasus was saying. " Before you go, however, I must insist we first play a _shadow game..."_

oO

" Why aren't you telling me?" Mokuba demanded. " I know something's happened to him! What did you do? What did that Crawford do?"

" Easy kid," the guard shut the door before the boy could do anything more.

" Argh!" Mokuba fumed.Grabbing his pendant, he yanked at it in agitation, then opened it. Inside was Seto's picture. His brother was laughing as he was about to fall over the couch. Part of Mokuba's elbow was linked with his in an effort to stop the fall. Seto had ended up falling over anyway, but slowly thanks to Mokuba, and had in the end pulled Mokuba down with him.

Frantic, sensing that his brother was not well, Mokuba paced. He looked out the window and thought about trying to climb out. But the reason Crawford did not install bars was clear; there was no way for Mokuba to scale down.

Frustrated, he threw himself on the bed. Things could be worse, he supposed. Pegasus was keeping him comfortable, and assured him that his brother will not be harmed. Mokuba had no way of knowing Seto was actually hurt.

Then how come he had such a feeling of dread?

oO

" He's trying to use my technology to resurrect his dead wife?" Seto coughed. The Blue Eyes White Dragon, having nursed Seto back to life, called Shadi back to return the soul to its body. Though still shaken, Seto was no longer in pain, but he was justly enraged. " You're telling me that Pegasus J. Crawford is a magician, that Yugi Mutou is also a magician, that you're a magician, and that all of this is part of some plan to resurrect the dead, which would not work anyway."

" Do you not believe me?" Shadi asked.

" Oh, I believe that you're a magician alright." Coughing very much like the High Priest did, except without blood, Seto continued, " And that Mutou boy definitely did something to me." He lapsed into coughing again. " How the blazes did Pegasus come about with this power?"

Shadi managed to reply with a straight face, " I gave it to him."

Seto shuddered, as if while fear lashed through him he was trying to stifle his anger. " Will he use it on my brother?"

" Perhaps."

" Can you stop him?!" Seto exploded. " Damn it, whoever you are, you have that key, you took me to wherever that was, you can get my brother back!"

Still weakened from Mutou's attack, Seto, spent, collapsed back on the bed. His skin was covered with cold sweat and he shuddered. From a past habit almost completely forgotten, Shadi performed the familiar movements to cover the boy. His heart clenched as Seto's face contorted in anguish and tears leaked out of the boy's eyes.

" He's mad! Pegasus is mad, you have to save my brother, you have the power to save him,"

" Hush." Shadi whispered soothingly. " Stay calm. I give you my word, your brother will come to no harm."

" He's the only thing I have." Seto whispered, before his strength gave and his eyes fluttered closed.

Shadi leaned back and sighed.Seto's plea echoed in his mind. Kaiba had immediately understood that he was powerless against Pegasus's force. Unlike the High Priest, Seto had no shadow magic at all. _Probably the reason he is surviving._

The question now is how he was supposed to help Seto while things are in motion._ Seto is terrified of what all this magic may do to him and Mokuba._

_Rightly so. _Ishizu replied. _Even if the Pharaoh defeats the reviving evil, Seto may still fall victim in the end. Him and his brother._

_He cannot possibly know that. He does not even know of this evil._

_He knows it has already affected him and his brother. _Ishizu pointed out. _He has been attacked twice. Once, by the owner of the Millennium Eye, and once by the Pharaoh himself._

_He knows Atemu did not mean to._

_All the same. He is now as much a part of destiny as we, and with no magic or power we possess with which to defend himself and his one remaining family. We must do what we can to help him._

Resolved, Shadi gave Seto's limp hand a squeeze before tucking it under the covers. " I will return shortly." He told the unconscious boy.

oO

It took Yugi a considerable time to understand what Pegasus did, because what the man did was so impossible. Much time had been wasted of those 15 minutes designated for their duel trying to figure out exactly what was happening and what Pegasus wanted.

" I'll go to your freaking tournament!" Yugi spat at Pegasus in the middle of the duel. " That's all you want, isn't it?" _Why are all the rich snobs suddenly challenging me to children's card games?_

" You really think this is a normal children's card game?" Pegasus smirked, answering Yugi's thought. " After all the card games before it. Poker, Magic? You think this card game could take over the world's political and economical foundations for no reason? That Japan's richest prodigy, Seto Kaiba, would suddenly decide a bunch of papers printed with pictures of monsters drawn with ink would be a worthwhile collection to invest?"

" Your point?" Yugi snapped. The spirit inside the puzzle coiled, waiting. " Your game is that awesome. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

" You really are not too bright, are you, little Yugi." Pegasus closed his eyes in contemplation. " Let me explain things to you in more detail. This current state we are in, this place we are currently dueling in, is part of a parallel universe called the Shadow Realm. During the first Age of Egypt the ancient Pharaohs and priests used shadow magic to call upon the spirits and beasts of this realm into ours. This practice lasted for centuries until the priests lost control over the Shadow Realm, and were forced to seal it away. When sealing the gateway from the Shadow Realm to the real world, they assembled the eight most powerful tools of magic in their day: the Millennium Items, one of which you wear around your neck."

" Huh?" Yugi blinked. " My...my pyramid?"

" That's right, Yugiboy. You own the Millennium Puzzle. And as the laws of ancient magic dictate, whoever wins the duel of shadows wins the Millennium Item."

" You are not getting my puzzle, Crawford!" Yugi cried, drawing back to hold his puzzle protectively. " And beating me in fifteen minutes will not change that!"

" Indeed, that is true. It will not." Pegasus smirked. " I would have to win a full duel, with traditional rules in place."

" Then why are you playing me now?" Yugi demanded. " What's the point of this?"

" Well, if you wish to leave the Shadow Realm, you will have to win this duel." Pegasus smirked. " There is six minutes left, Yugi-boy. Tick tock."

oO

Mokuba started when a man suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere behind him.

" Wha!"

" Quiet!" Shadi covered the boy's mouth. " Do not let them hear."

" Huh?" Mokuba stepped back. " Are you here to help me?"

" Where is Pegasus?"

" How on earth should I know?" Mokuba frowned. " How did you get past the guards? Let me out of here!"

" I will do that as soon as I know for sure I have not been discovered." _Ishizu? Any hints?_

_He is involved in a duel with the Pharaoh. _Ishizu replied. _The Pharaoh's conscience is weak but he is influencing the duel slightly. It will not be long._

_How long?_

_Five minutes._

_That is more than enough time._Shadi turned to the child. " Do you trust me?" He asked the boy.

" Why should I? What do you plan to do?"

" I plan to risk taking you to a place that can potentially kill you." Shadi replied.

" Why should I trust you then?"

" Because I am trying to take you to your brother."

" My brother?" Mokuba grabbed Shadi's sleeve. " He is here? Wherever here is? Hurry up then!"

" Alright." Taking one last look around, Shadi gathered Mokuba to him and opened the gates to the Shadow Realm again.

oO

Yugi was just about to lay down the winning card when the timer stopped.

" Ah, that is unfortunate for you." Pegasus exclaimed easily. " Had you a second time, I would have lost. But as things stand,"

" Let my friends and I out of this realm, _now," _Yugi commanded, furious.

" As you wish." Pegasus surprised him. " But first, as my reward for winning the game," He lifted the strands of hair up to reveal his golden eye, which started glowing. Yugi, feeling dread, barely had time to look behind him before a low moan, ethereal and inhuman sounded from his grandfather, and a light flew from Sugoruku's body into the television screen.

" What did you just do?!" Yugi cried, charging at the television. " What did you do to my Ji-chan?!"

" I took his soul." Pegasus replied, in a matter-of-fact tone. " Come to the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, if you want it back."

The world faded away, and Pegasus's face disappeared from the screen.

" Iie!" Yugi cried, " Get back here! Come back! Give me back my Ji-chan!"

But there was nothing on the screen save static. Behind him, Sugoruku slumped to the side like a rag doll.


	6. Chapter 6

Age of Destiny

Chapter 6

" I'm going."

" No you're not." Seto glared at Mokuba. Having received his brother safe and sound, Shadi was rudely reminded that there were other powers at work and he had certain responsibilities. Now that Seto knew as much as he probably needed, he could use the young CEO's help. Mokuba was adamant that Seto not step anywhere near Pegasus. Seto was aware that Shadi had probably just saved Mokuba's life, and felt incumbent to return a favor or two. With his brother around, Seto seemed much more composed and clear-headed, though that could also be because he had more time to recover. Unfortunately, he had a dull headache, which was getting worse as Mokuba's idea of compromise was to go with his brother to keep him out of danger.

" You're out of your mind if you think you're going there by yourself."

" You're out of your mind if you think you're going back there when Shadi here just bailed you out." Seto returned. " Would you listen to me for once?"

" I always listen to you!"

" Would you listen to me again? Look, where have I ever steered you wrong?"

" Oh," Mokuba scoffed, " You never steered _me _wrong. You just seem to think that in order to do anything you have to toss yourself in harm's way! How much of this magic stuff do you really know, Ni-sama? Can you pull people from their souls and what's it? Trap them in pieces of cardboard?"

" And you think your presence would be so much better?"

" Why does Shadi need your help anyway?"

" Our main enemy is not really Crawford." Shadi explained.

The two brothers stared at him.

" Oh come on." Seto growled. " You're telling me Crawford is a lackey. Some minion."

" Not exactly. But his current activities do serve as a danger. Something may waken that must not awake."

" This is getting better and better." Seto rubbed his head. " Not that I don't appreciate what you did for my brother here, but how exactly is this thing working, hm? I kind of have a life, you know, and more importantly, my brother has this whole future ahead of him. He just got into the best freaking school in Japan, and you're telling me that all of the sudden some great evil will wake up because of some mess up _you _incurred several years ago, and despite having not a single clue what the hell you were talking about not an hour ago, I can actually help out with this?"

" You certainly did before." Shadi replied. " You were a High Priest."

" I don't care if I was the scaly Dragon Emperor. What are you afraid of?"

" Zorc."

" Zorc?" Mokuba grimaced. " What, is he a legos character or something?"

" Legos?" Seto stared at Mokuba.

" First thing that came to mind." Mokuba explained. Seto cocked an eyebrow.

" Who's Zorc?"

" A great evil of the Shadow Realm." Shadi sighed. " Alright, his real name is Zorc Necrophades."

" Still sounds like a legos character."

" What's so special about this guy?"

" He is a spirit of the Shadow Realm. He _is _the Shadow Realm. He can come to life when all of the Millennium Items are brought together to the Kul Elna village in an underground crypt. He tried to take over the Egyptian kingdoms three thousand years ago, and was not completely banished because...well, you know."

" So what are we supposed to do? Ensure none of the items get together?"

" At least none are stolen." Shadi replied. " You have to make sure Yugi Mutou does not lose his Millennium Puzzle to Crawford."

Seto stared at Shadi. " And how am I supposed to do that?"

" Hopefully," Shadi paused, " The Millennium Eye remembers your past father."

" This sounds ridiculous." Mokuba exclaimed. " So you want to ensure they don't get stolen by ensuring my brother steals the eye? I don't like the idea of having to poke his eyeball out for this mess, you know."

" He does not have to." Shadi replied. " He just has to win the Millennium Eye."

" And Pegasus Crawford can read into my mind, I have no items to protect myself with because your fellow guardian, Malik, went crazy and decided to run off with the Millennium Rod. I would love to help you, but this does not seem to be a working plan."

Shadi smiled a little bitterly. " You use to come up with the plans, Seto." He called him Seto because it was how Shadi knew him. Seto decided to let him, considering the man was Egyptian and did not follow Japanese codes of conduct. " You use to defeat these odds, no problem."

" Well, that was back when I knew about these things." Seto pointed out. " When _I _knew about them first hand. And I didn't have the Pharaoh threatening to what's it? Blow my brains out with what's it?"

" He does not remember you." Shadi sighed. " He would never have done this to you if he knew who you were."

" I get that." Seto raised his hand to silence Mokuba, who was starting to protest again. " Granted, I am not pleased that he thinks he can just blow my brains out simply because I was being unreasonable about something, but I wasn't the nicest guy, and I'll give the head honcho a break. I'm simply saying that stealing the Millennium Eye through a duel is not going to fly here. He's going to use Shadow Magic on me and I have no defense."

" I know." It was something that worried Shadi. " I will protect you the best I can. But I personally see no other option."

" Why did you hand this to him in the first place?"

Shadi sighed again.

" I could potentially design some kind of technology to block Crawford from reading my mind." Seto looked at Shadi dryly. " That requires I know what I am dealing with, and apparently the slightest use of Shadow Magic makes me sick. You're saying with that eye he can see all I see and know all I know. I'd basically have to play on luck. And, he could even potentially read your mind too, if you're the one coming up with strategies, so while I don't know about _other options, _this one certainly doesn't sound like one."

" But if you know what he knows, it could even out the odds." Shadi pointed out.

" What are you suggesting?" Seto asked. " I cannot design anything like that."

" Iie." Shadi replied. " But there is one item you can borrow."

" Borrow?"

" Hai."

" Which one?"

" The Millennium Tauk."

oO

" How are we supposed to go if Yugi only has one glove and two star chips?"

" Ever heard of the term 'stowaway'?"

" Ever heard of the phrase 'getting caught'?"

" Guys you really don't have to do this." Yugi rubbed his head. " Look, this is between me and Crawford and, well, my ji-chan, but you shouldn't get tangled in this."

" What, are you kidding?" Anzu exclaimed, " We're not letting you handle this all by yourself, Mutou Yugi!"

" Still not wise." Yugi pointed out. " We're dealing with Crawford here."

" We dealt with Kaiba. And imagine what might have happened if we weren't there."

Yugi cocked an eyebrow. " Not that I don't appreciate you guys being there, but what exactly did you guys do?"

" We can stow onboard to Crawford's island and mingle with the other players." Jou pointed out.

" Crawford might read into your thoughts and figure out you're with me anyway."

" Even if this guy can read people's thoughts, how many people were invited to the tournament? Fifty? Probably more? Isn't it a bit painful to read everyone's thoughts?"

" He probably does not have to read everyone's at the same time." Yugi pointed out.

" How wide would his power stretch anyway?" Honda asked. " There must be some limit to his power. I mean, if he has all that power why would he need your pyramid?"

Equally stumped, Yugi stopped what he was doing (which was packing) to consider this.

" What am I supposed to do here, then?" Yugi asked. " I have no clue what I'm facing."

" If only we could get some help."

Honda paused. " You think Kaiba would help?"

" Are you crazy?"

" Hai, he is." Anzu shut Honda up. " How about we play it as it goes. He apparently had this elaborate plan laid out. There's plenty of time to figure out how to beat him since he's not challenging you directly."

" I don't know." Jou frowned. " This sounds very fishy to me. The more prolonged it is the more difficult it is to follow, you know what I mean? Just because we have a lot of time doesn't mean we'll figure everything out. And we're apparently dealing with magic here. That could mean anything."

" Well he wants my puzzle." Yugi pointed out. " And I apparently made Kaiba faint earlier. So maybe we're not so unevenly matched after all."

" But he obviously knows how to use it. You didn't even know what you did, or it if was the puzzle that knocked Kaiba out."

" True, but I don't think I have a choice. Who could I go to for help for this kind of thing?"

oO

The ship was huge. Even so, Pegasus managed to fill up all the normal rooms, leaving Honda, Anzu, and Jou to search for some place to spend the night that was not being recorded by cameras. Of course, ultimately it made little difference as Pegasus probably knew they were coming anyway.

" These kinds of things only exist in manga." Jou muttered. They were stuck below the deck, where the ship's boiler and engines were. " Or in books and movies, and anime, but Kami-sama, how did we get into this mess?"

" By going to Egypt. His grandpa sure knows what to bring back." Honda commented.

" Guys, stop complaining. It's not like either of them wanted this." Anzu pointed out. " Mutou-san's soul is at stake."

Out in the open, Yugi realized that the winner of the last tournament, Insector Haga, was a skillful pickpocket.

" Not cool." He complained, not caring that he was being overheard by a woman named Mai Kujaku, or the finalist Dinosaur Ryuzaki. " Should be kicked off this ship!"

" Huh." Kujaku said a little stupidly. " Are you sure it was Haga?"

" Dirty little bugger, wouldn't put it past him." Ryuzaki agreed. But they were not sympathetic toward the situation itself.

" We can search for Weevil." Jou suggested when he heard this. " Force that guy to give us the cards back."

" You sure that's wise, Jou-chan?" Anzu asked nervously.

" Kami-sama! All five cards of Exodia? Who knows what other stuff he stole. I'm getting them back. It was how Yugi beat Kaiba, after all, so maybe it will help if he had them to beat Crawford."

" Jou-chan, the chances of Yugi assembling another Exodia is like one to infinity."

" Still, maybe we'd get the one." Jou slipped away before Honda could give his opinion.

" Baka!" Anzu swore, " He's going to get caught!"

" We lay low and keep track of him." Honda whispered.

" Well," Kujaku was saying, " You probably would not be able to use it anyway. The fact that you assembled Exodia in that duel with Seto Kaiba was a pure miracle. Shows you have some luck, kid."

" Hai." Ryuzaki agreed. " It's a wonder, really, if Crawford knows this."

" What," Yugi asked dryly, " That I beat Kaiba out of pure luck? I think he knows. But hey, half the game is about having good cards to begin with, one quarter of the game is good strategy, and the rest depends on luck. I did beat him fair and square."

" Does not mean you can survive in this tournament, buddy." Ryuzaki replied. " I wish you luck. You definitely need it. It's three million dollars as a prize, after all. You need it for something?"

Having no better excuse, Yugi replied, " Hai."

" Well, pray to the gods." Kujaku was now disinterested. " You certainly didn't start on the right foot here, losing cards already. Careful, if you lose all of your cards, you'd be off the island before you can say 'Ishimatte!'"

" Thanks for the advice." Yugi said with equal dryness. Still frustrated, because he had just lost his grandfather's Blue Eyes White Dragon and did not care to add more to that record, he continued searching around.

Jou had found Haga.

" Give me the cards." He slammed the smaller boy into the wall without effort. Insector Haga was incredibly short and small.

" Hey, hey, I don't know what you're talking about. Who are you anyway?"

" I said, give me the cards. Unless you want me to reorganize your face." Jou was holding Haga with one hand, while he pulled back his other to punch. " I saw you, Haga. Hand them over, now!"

Frightened, Haga obeyed. Jou tossed him to the side, causing the boy to stumble, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

" Got them." Jou said proudly when he joined his friends.

" That was very unorthodox." Anzu remonstrated. " It's a good thing Haga has the tendency to sneak through such places, Jou-chan."

" Iie, that was very effective." Jou disagreed. " How are we getting this to Yugi?"

" Probably better if we wait until the ship anchors." Honda suggested. " Duelists everywhere, and guards."

" Yugi wouldn't be able to explain how he found them though." Anzu pointed out.

" Hey," Jou reminded them, " These are cards. We can slide them through the floorboard."

" Which room is Yugi's?" Honda asked.

" We don't have to slide it through a room. We slide it on the deck. Yugi's searching around, he's bound to go to the deck at some point."

oO

While Yugi restored his cards to his deck, Seto handed the tauk back to Ishizu.

" Arigatou for arriving so quickly to Domino, but it feels slimy." He complained. " In that very, well, I'm not saying you did not shower. But it feels very uncomfortable. Not to mention I did not see anything."

" He had no relation to the tauk." Ishizu remembered. " Of course it would not choose him." She turned to Shadi. " Why don't you play the games for him?"

" Huh?" Seto blinked. " Is he guarded against Pegasus?"

" Pegasus cannot read his mind." Ishizu replied.

" Why, the Key?"

" Iie." Ishizu stared at Seto, puzzled. " I am surprised you did not realize this. Shadi is a ghost."

Seto's expression was almost comical. He stared at her for a moment, then he stared at Shadi. Then, quite rudely, he reached out and poked.

" You're playing with me." He accused.

Ishizu looked at Shadi. " He was killed by one of Necrophades' minions about five years ago." She explained. " You can touch him because he can be corporeal, not to mention you were a High Priest in the past."

Shadi rubbed his arm, where Seto had poked.

" So you're dead." Seto looked at Mokuba. " Is it wrong for me to feel disturbed? Mokuba, do you feel disturbed?"

" I'm confused." The younger boy said. " What is going on?"

Once both Kaiba brothers came to terms with what was really going on, Seto asked Shadi, feeling his dull headache increase ten-fold, " So, Crawford can read living minds but not dead minds."

" Essentially." Shadi replied patiently.

" So what? You play puppeteer?"

" To an extent. I can inhabit part of your mind, using this Millennium Key. The Key will organize your mind into chambers for me. If you withdraw into your mind, the Millennium Eye cannot detect your thoughts, but you will not be able to see what is happening outside. I can function as your connection to the outside world. I would play for you, but you are the one that must challenge him to a duel, and as a spirit, I cannot summon the power of the monsters behind the cards."

" I have no clue what he just said." Mokuba was still astounded by the fact that Shadi is dead.

" You're saying that," Seto paused, " You will possess me."

" In a way."

" And when we play against Pegasus Crawford, you will control my body, but you will consult me, since I am the one playing. So I am to sit tight in my mind, however that works, while you tell me what is on the field, what cards I have, and I am to give you instructions so you can go back out there and carry them out."

" I don't like this." Mokuba looked at Seto worriedly. " Ni-sama, you don't have to do this."

" Iie, you don't." Shadi agreed. " But I assure you, while you work with me, no harm will befall you."

" My head hurts." Seto felt like he was about to pass out. " This better not be the effects of whatever that Mutou did to me."

" You have at least a week before anything really happens." Shadi told Seto. " There is another Millennium Item on the loose, but we need to wait until they reach Pegasus first, which may take a while. Go get some rest; you still have to recover from the attack."

" Ni-sama," Mokuba held his brother's arm in worry.

" Ishtar-san," Seto was holding his head and he looked a little disoriented, " If you can take care of my brother in the meantime, I would really appreciate it."

" Of course, Kaiba-san."

" Nani?" Mokuba cried, " Iie! I'm going with you, Ni-sama! Ni-sama!"

Seto ignored his brother and headed upstairs, resting every so often.

" Shadi will take care of him." Ishizu assured Mokuba.


	7. Chapter 7

Age of Destiny

Chapter 7

Duelist Kingdom Island was a series of buildings that had different stadiums for the games. There were also barracks where the duelists could sleep. Since it was Pegasus's private island, the roads were not ideal, so each duelist was given a smoking rescue signal so that in case they fell sick or were injured they could alert the workers. Signs were posted on trees in English and in Chinese, which was not a big problem for most duelists. The cell phones had little to no signal, so the barracks and the stadiums had free internet and phones.

Once the duelists arrived from the ship, Pegasus himself greeted everyone. He gave a grandiose speech, as usual, and announced the beginning of the tournament after lunch (they had arrived at around eleven-thirty in the morning, and lunch began at noon). They actually took the pains to construct a huge tent to fit tables and chairs underneath, and lined refreshment and food on the front end facing the beach. Jou, Anzu, and Honda took this opportunity to join up with Yugi without alerting the guards.

Anzu's attention kept drawing away from her friends, toward a familiar figure she did not expect to see. The boys, previously discussing various perks on the newest version of Mario, became aware of her continued silence.

" What's up, Anzu-chan?" Honda asked. " Who are you looking for?"

" Is that Bakura Ryou?" Anzu asked. " I swear that was him."

" That white kid?" Jou glanced over. " Hey, it's him alright. Huh. I didn't think he was the otaku-type."

" Just because he's here doesn't mean he is an otaku-type, Jou." Yugi pointed out. " I'm not an otaku. In fact, I don't even play Duel Monsters that often."

" Hai, you're kind of screwed." Jou nodded. " You totally bluffed that one with Kaiba. And now you have to deal with the real otaku's."

" I'm sure my pyramid would pull me through." Yugi replied dryly. " I honestly don't know what else to do."

" He's sitting all alone over there." Anzu noted. " Should we invite him over?"

Once called over, after much nonsense about how he did not see them at first and sorry for being so apathetic before, Bakura politely inquired into Yugi's sudden interest in card games.

" Iie, I'm not a fan of card games." _Especially not now. And I would be glad never to see any card game again once this is over. Even Solitaire. _" Let's just say I have a score to settle."

" Score?" Bakura frowned. " I don't understand."

" He lost a bet." Anzu filled in quickly before any of the boys could blow Yugi's cover. She was assuming that Bakura was a trustworthy friend for now, and not another person out to steal Yugi's puzzle. " Said that duel with Kaiba was a fluke, and if Yugi could toss a coin and catch it a hundred times in a row without stopping, he does not have to prove himself. If he misses he was supposed to accept Crawford's invite."

While the three boys stared at Anzu in dismay, Bakura, looking truly bemused, stared at Yugi in astonishment.

" Hey, it's harder than it looks." Yugi managed, sneaking a glare at Anzu. _How does she come up with this sort of stuff?_

" Oh. Wow. Ano...you sure have your stories, Mutou-san." Bakura rubbed his head. " Pardon me, but how did you get into that one?"

" Long story." Yugi quipped, glaring at Anzu to shut her up. Thankfully, this look could also be interpreted to mean Yugi did not want Anzu to disclose any more details.

" So what about you?" Yugi asked. " I did not think you were the type to play card games."

" Oh, I love them." Bakura replied happily. " I used to play them back in England with my friends. When I moved here, there was a little bit of a language barrier."

" I see."

" Hey, after this tournament, you can come over and play with me sometimes." Jou offered. " I have tons of cool cards. And Yugi-san here has this awesome grandpa who owns a game shop and they have Duel Monsters merchandise."

" The Kame Game Shop?" Bakura asked. " Is that yours? I was planning on visiting to see what they had in there."

" Hai, that's the one!" Honda grinned. " They have tons of other stuff too!"

" Hai, pop by sometime!" Yugi invited.

oO

Seto's headache did not go away, but he was able to tolerate it. Coffee, he discovered, only made it worse, and any migraine pills had no effect on it. Luckily, Mokuba knew as much about pressure points as Seto did, and while his little brother tried to alleviate the strained tendons on his neck and head, Seto, while wincing, asked Shadi whether it was just him, or Pegasus's plan to steal Yugi's puzzle had some ridiculously major flaws.

" He needs to challenge Mutou."

" Hai."

" But in order to challenge Mutou, Mutou has to win enough starchips in order to reach him in the first place."

" Not necessarily. Once Mutou loses he could actually force him to duel instead of merely waiting for him to make his own way into the finals."

" Well, why not just challenge Mutou directly? It seems like a lot of money is being wasted for one puzzle. He could settle the score much more quickly if he made things simple."

" The tournament is a cover up. There are seven Millennium Items in total. I hold two; Ishizu holds one, Mutou holds one, and Crawford holds one. This leaves two unaccounted for."

" Did you lose them?"

" Iie. One was stolen by a guardian; your Rod, as I mentioned before. The other was the Millennium Ring. That one was given away."

" Why do you keep giving stuff away?" Seto sighed. " Do you know who you gave the Millennium Ring to?"

" He was a British professor. That was all I know."

" What's with you and British people?" Seto winced. " Ow! Mokuba!"

" Gomen ne, Ni-sama."

" I feel dizzy now. It's nauseating but better than pain, in this case." Seto rubbed his neck. " Ugh. Don't want to think."

" When this is over I am sure you will be better." Shadi frowned. " Although if you are not, I may request the Pharaoh take a look at you."

" No thanks!" Seto raised a hand. " I am of the mind to avoid that fellow as much as possible. He is the one who did this to me, I am sure."

" And he can reverse it, I am sure." Ishizu pointed out.

" We will see. Hopefully it does not come to that." Seto sighed. " So. We are going to pray that Mutou keeps winning until the finals, and then we can try to take Pegasus's Eye in the meantime so the puzzle and the Eye never unites, at the very least, all the while also praying that the other two vagabond Millennium Item holders never notice there is this war going on."

" Legend had it that he is the King of Games. He never lost a game." Shadi said. " Well, except to you, but that is another story."

" Thank you. I needed that boost of confidence in my card playing skills." Seto retorted dryly. " Looks like I have to stare at some computer screens again. Hurray. Hacking time."

" Do you want me to hack instead?" Mokuba asked.

" Iie." Seto glared. " You shouldn't even know how to hack, Mokuba."

" I learned from the best."

Seto sighed. " Fine. Screw morals." He turned to Shadi. " Should I be worried about him trying to get me again? Or get Mokuba?"

" Perhaps." Ishizu replied. " His plan did include your technology."

" What ever happened to good-natured business doing?" Seto lamented. " Mokuba, you in yet?"

" Got in." Mokuba replied after a pause. " What do you want me to do?"

" Plant a virus and get the heck out of there."

" What kind?"

" Make their motherboards burn out."

" Gotcha."

Seto shut his eyes to rest for a while, and inadvertently drifted off. Ishizu laid her hand on his forehead for a moment.

" I do not like this, Shadi." She murmured. " There is something wrong. I doubt a doctor would be enough, even."

" He is not getting sick again is he?"

" I do not know."

oO

Before lunch ended there was an unexpected announcement.

" Because of technical difficulties, we must delay the beginning of the tournament." Said an officer with a huge spike for a hair that was even taller than Honda's. " Until then, Mr. Crawford asks everyone to please relax and enjoy the island until these problems are resolved."

" Huh. Fine time for them to be having technical difficulties." Anzu noted. " It doesn't seem right. They put so much effort into everything else."

" Hey, these things happen." Honda shrugged. The weather was warm enough, the sea blue and shimmering in the distance, and the castle high on the hill glimmering like polished silver. Yugi fiddled with his puzzle while Bakura shuffled his deck.

" That's an interesting pyramid you got there, mate." Bakura noted. " Where did you get it?"

" Ji-chan bought it on one of his travels. Sat in the basement for years. Used to be a puzzle." Yugi replied absently.

" Really!" Bakura blinked. " Looks like quite a puzzle."

" Hai. Took me a month to solve."

" Kami-sama! I would never have the patience for that sort of thing."

" Me neither." Jou agreed. " Only Yugi-san here."

An hour passed.

" Wow, that's some major technical difficulty they got up there." Anzu exclaimed.

" Wonder what could be wrong?"

" Can't we just play and get stuff over with?"

" Probably it has to do with Kaiba's holographic stadiums."

" Haha, wouldn't be surprised."

oO

Kaiba's brother had struck home, Pegasus decided. He still had no idea how the little one managed to escape. The only way he could have gone was out the window, and there was no sign of the child attempting that stunt.

The truth was Pegasus was as unwilling to fight Kaiba as Kaiba was to fight Pegasus. Kaiba Seto was a quick thinker, and his train of thought was hard to follow by itself. The boy was actually very easy to deal with under normal circumstances; it was how the Duelist Kingdom Tournament was made possible. Pegasus was quite fond of the boy. Add to that, Kaiba Seto suddenly learned about a lot of things he should not, and Pegasus was not sure how the boy knew. He was certain the boy was exposed to some kind of aid after the duel with the Pharaoh. He seemed to be learning more and more from an unknown source as time went by, and when Ishtar arrived in Domino, Pegasus was certain someone had summoned her. This unknown foe was making Kaiba less and less of a minor nuisance and more and more of a major threat. Seto's thoughts suggested it was Shadi, but why would Shadi help Kaiba?

But however Kaiba learned what he had learned, he had obviously decided to interfere, and this, Pegasus felt, was only the first of possibly many insults. Kaiba was after Pegasus's Eye, and his headache had kept Pegasus from discovering just how Kaiba was planning on achieving that.

Not that he would. Pegasus was certain. Kaiba had nothing against his Eye, that Pegasus knew of. He could not use Ishtar's Millennium Tauk. He does not seem to react well with shadow magic at all. And ultimately, it seemed the boy was determined to use his wits alone.

Huh. Strange.

But it seemed to be effective so far; first of all, they had to tackle the virus. Some of the hard drives burnt out; others were saved, but the joint memory was reduced to the point where everything is much slower and there was a lot of collision of information. Untangling that bit would take however long it needed to–the computer technology staff could not give him a definite time approximation on when everything would be resolved.

" If he wants to postpone the tournament," Pegasus said wryly as he glanced at the cracked-looking GUI, " He is succeeding."

" Wonder why." Said one of his employees. " Upset he didn't get an invite?"

" Definitely not that." Said another employee, " Not to mention even if he is, postponing a tournament's hardly going to do anything for _him._"

" He is definitely buying time," Pegasus confirmed.

" For what?"

Pegasus shook his head. He had an idea, but it was definitely not something he would admit to his employees. Not to mention, Seto's headache was preventing him from accessing much of his thoughts without developing his own migraine.

" Cut off all connections except to the generator and see if you cannot decode it." Pegasus ordered, before moving back. He could tell all the duelists were getting restless, wondering what was taking so long. _Kaiba knows how to create trouble. _He thought ruefully.

oO

Despite it being relatively warm, Bakura Ryou was still wearing a rather baggy sweater. Yugi soon realized why, when, turning his body into the sun, the rays caught a glimpse of gold peaking out from under the wool.

He knew he was presuming too much, but after getting his grandfather's soul essentially kidnapped, Yugi was not in a very trusting mood. His own puzzle was too bulky to be hidden anywhere, and Yugi was not confident enough to have it anywhere else other than around his neck, so he knew that his item was in full view of everyone else. Not all items, apparently, were as ridiculously large as his–Pegasus's is literally hidden in his eye-socket (kind of a freaky idea, actually) and most of the time was hidden by his hair. Yugi remembered thinking, at one point, that it was strange for a CEO of any huge company to get away with long hair, but now he knew why Pegasus chose his hairdo, or at least how the hairdo worked out for him. In any case, if there are other Millennium Item owners out there, they probably had a much better chance of hiding their items from him, while he himself stood out like a flashlight in the dark.

Not pleased with this development, Yugi found himself itching to dig some information out of Bakura, but at a loss as to how to do it properly. It was not like he had anything to hide any longer, what with the Puzzle on full display, but he was not sure if it was wise to just nose into someone else's belongings, even metaphorically.

Finally, however, Yugi gave in.

" Oh. My Otou-san gave it to me." Bakura replied, lifting a rather large but flat Ring from under his sweater. He was facing away from the other duelists, but Yugi had to wonder if Bakura ever thought, as he did, if it was at all wise to show off a huge hunk of gold in public. " He got it when touring Egypt."

" He just...got it?" Yugi found that hard to believe.

" Well what about yours?" Bakura asked. " You must have gotten it somehow."

" My grandfather dug it up while excavating." Yugi replied. " He used to be an archaelogist, until he retired and decided to run the Kame Game Shop."

" Nice. My father bought it."

" Really?" Jou blinked. " Looks expensive."

" He didn't pay that much, as far as I could remember." Bakura looked thoughtfully at the Ring. " He implied the seller really wanted to get rid of it. Some Muslim curse, or something. Egyptians." He smiled humorously. " They're so strange."

Yugi cocked an eyebrow, feeling this was a good opening. " You believe in that sort of thing?"

" Well I'm wearing it, aren't I?" Bakura pointed out. " So far it hasn't been much of a cursed item. More like a good-luck charm. I seem to get out of bizarre situations whenever I have this thing around."

" You must get into a lot of bizarre situations then." Anzu blinked.

" One can say that."

" Care to share any cool stories?" Honda invited.

Just then the announcement interrupted them. The tournament is open again! Amidst the excited swarm of duelists, the group forgot Honda's question, and Yugi focused, instead, on the Millennium Item responsible for kidnapping his grandfather, lying just in the castle. All he must do is duel his way there.

Let the games begin, indeed.


End file.
